' Hipgnosis Songs Fund has spent more than $1 billion on catalogs containing compositions by Al Green, Rihanna, Beyonce and many others.
Likely to be shut out of this familial windfall is Tommie Rae Hynie, who claimed to be Brown's wife even though, as South Carolina courts determined later, she was married to another man at the time of her marriage to Brown. The singer himself was aware of this, filing at one point for an annulment before backing off when Hynie agreed in 2004 to"forever waive any claim to a common-law marriage," according to court documents.
For much of the 15-year legal dispute over Brown's estate and holdings, Hynie, a singer who reportedly lives in the U.K., was the central character, going so far as to agree to deals with publisher Warner Chappell to sell termination rights for five songs for $1.875 million, according to court documents. Brown-Thomas and the other children and grandchildren sued over these deals in U.S.
In Brown's will, he also bequeathed millions of dollars to fund scholarships for underprivileged children in Georgia and South Carolina, although they have not received any funds to date. One possible outcome of the settlement is that Brown-Thomas and the other heirs will use the money from the song termination rights to fund Brown's estate and trust, which will pay out the scholarships. Some say this could potentially happen by late 2021 or early 2022.
One likely outcome from the settlement is that Brown's estate will begin working together and making deals in a unified way, a la Prince, Jimi Hendrix and Michael Jackson, after years of acrimony.